The Kentuckian Page #5

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to risk it. How did you get such an idea?

Hey there, pilot! Don't stop at Humility!

Good day, gents.

Hey, pilot! Stop! Humility!

Fly! Dive or die, boys!

- You all right?

- Sure.

Come on, Eli!

- Who is that man?

- That's my little brother. That's my boy!

That's our boy!

Good evening, gents.

Give all the boys here a little nip.

You buying, Mr. Wakefield?

He is. My future partner.

- What'll it be, then?

- Brandy. The best.

Drink up, boys. Name it.

All of you.

It's a dream I always had, Elias.

You and me in business, partners.

You tricked those gamblers

like a real businessman.

It's a rich thing, Eli,

and you can buy in out of earnings.

Pardon me. My congratulations, sir.

You gave me a lot of entertainment on

that boat. May I buy a drink, gentlemen?

I'm sorry. We're late for supper as is.

Sophie'll be put out if we hold her up.

- Another time, then.

- Sure.

Gentlemen.

A toast to the president

of these United States.

To the president of the United States!

You'll have these jokesmiths

looking for pearls themselves.

Fletcher!

Here's something by way of commission.

Buy yourself a new snake.

The one you've got

must be awful tired of biting Cleopatra.

Chicken's coming home to roost,

eh, Stan?

He's a smart fellow, that Eli Wakefield!

- You gotta take your hat off to him.

- The last laugh was his.

- Leave him there, Eli.

- But, Aunt Sophie...

No buts about it!

He has to learn, same as you!

Hannah! You gotta help me with Pa!

He won't talk Texas.

I can't get nothing out of him any more.

He's making

quite a place for himself here.

Who dasts?

Who dasts to crack a whip with me?

My mammy was a gator

and my pappy was a bull.

I can whup my weight in wildcats

and drink my belly full.

Who dasts?

Not you, Stan.

You cut too fine a seam for me.

Step up or shut up, folks.

We're loaded for bear.

You better trek for home, son.

That's a Wakefield over there.

- I know it.

- And you're not scared?

Listen.

Cry, you young 'uns, cry, sweethearts,

when the feuding shooting starts.

And weep, you widows in lone homes

when a Wakefield meets a...

- What's your name, fighting man?

- Luke.

- Don't say I didn't tell you, Luke.

- I'm not afraid of him.

I'm not saying you're scared, son.

There might be some that'd say you are.

You can walk away,

let folks say what they please.

Wakefield,

you don't want to whup him, do you?

- I ain't got nothing against him.

- See? He doesn't want to whup you.

- Bodine!

- Mind the business.

I'll keep the peace here

if I can hold this wild man back.

Stan, why don't you stop it?

I'm trying to. Can't you see that, folks?

Don't dare him, Luke.

I dare you.

I double-dare you.

All business? Not one minute to spare?

There!

You haven't told him, have you?

I figured it'd be better

if you and me both told him.

Wakefield! You better come!

- Bodine, for once you've gone too far.

- I go where I please, Wakefield.

Enough, Wakefield,

or do I skin your back?

Next time, Wakefield, I go for the eyes.

Stop it! Somebody stop it!

Come on, you fool!

Now, Bodine!

Pa! Pa!

You all right, boy?

There's a man for me!

A real Texas man!

We could sit here to talk.

Well, son, I just wanted the three of us

to sort of talk things over.

You see... me and Susie...

we're gonna get married.

She'll be a mother for you.

A good one. Won't you, Susie?

I'll surely try.

We're thinking of you too, boy.

Both of us are.

There'll be a home for you, Little Eli.

A roof over your head.

And boys and girls to play with.

And school.

We'll have lots of fun.

No Texas?

Son, we have to say goodbye

to some things.

They was good things in their time,

but their time's wore out for us.

You let them tie Faro up.

You made me leave him tied up.

We're getting him used to it.

And you've been lying to me.

You've been lying all along.

You never used to lie.

- Not till we came here, you didn't.

- I just been trying to see my way.

- I never thought I'd hate you, Pa.

- Little Eli!

Not that, son.

Forget you said it.

You can't be meaning it.

I'm trying to be a right father to you.

I'm trying to think

what kind of man you'll be.

What kind of a man are you coming to be?

That's the worst of all.

You talk cruel, son.

But even if you was right about Texas,

I give my word to Zack, and to Susie here.

You gave your word before.

Please believe in your father.

In all our lives, son,

I don't know as I ever told you

you had to do anything.

We got along good, you and me,

and I pray God it will be so again.

But now I want you

to take this horn out and lose it.

Throw it away.

Pitch it where we'll never find it,

so it won't be in our minds to blow it.

The way to start off new

is to shuck off what's old.

Now, boy.

Sometimes...

Sometimes...

Sometime he'll love you.

And me too again.

That girl. The one who works for Bodine.

Hannah?

She caught the whip.

She rode the wagon right on top of it.

Hannah did?

I stood there helpless.

Hannah did?

Well, I'll swear.

Eli, you're free any time you want to be.

Why, if it came to that,

you could come to Texas with us.

With hands for a pianoforte?

With an invalid mother?

Oh, Eli!

Sometimes people

can ruin what they love.

Susie.

He's growed up!

My boy's growed up!

Hannah?

Oh, Hannah?

Well, I declare! A late visitor.

By accident we're entertaining

some old friends of yours.

They just happened to drop in too.

Come on in, boy.

Gentlemen, we have a visitor.

Little Eli Wakefield.

Who's with you?

Nobody... but my dog.

Where's your pa?

I... I lit out from him.

Little Eli!

A runaway, huh?

He'll be looking for you.

- I'll take him home.

- Keep him.

Come, now, gentlemen.

Not against his will.

Cut out the fancy talk, Bodine.

We'll keep him. We'll wait for his pa.

We're good at waiting.

Hannah?

- Good morning, sir.

- Hannah here?

Today I am maid and master,

a favor for my friend Bodine.

- Have you seen Little Eli?

- No, he does not habituate our grog shop.

- Wakefield.

- I have a place to go.

- Mind if I walk along with you?

- It's a piece.

Let's go.

As for the money, you don't need it.

Come as my lieutenant. I want you.

- Even so, there's Little Eli and school.

- Man, I know.

People have to make choices.

Choices never are perfect.

It'll be rough in Texas. It'll be hard.

Maybe your son won't be a scholar.

He'd be something better, I'd say, for him.

Something truer to himself. And you'll

both have a life you'll never have here.

What's important to your son?

You. You, first of all.

You doing the things you were cut out

to do. The things God created you to do.

Not you imitating your brother.

- Zack's all right.

- In his way.

The Zacks of this world build businesses.

Men like you could build countries.

Wakefield.

Call it none of my business,

but how does your boy feel?

There's two of 'em.

- How far?

- Whoop and a holler.

It's that Texas man Babson.

That's your meat.

- Mine?

- You heard him. We come for Wakefield.

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